Western (genre)

"Westerns" redirects here. For other uses, see Western (disambiguation).

Part of a series on
Westerns
  • Media
  • Lists
  • Terms

The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada.[1][2]: 7 

The frontier is depicted in Western media as a sparsely populated hostile region patrolled by cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, and numerous other stock gunslinger characters. Western narratives often concern the gradual attempts to tame the crime-ridden American West using wider themes of justice, freedom, rugged individualism, manifest destiny, and the national history and identity of the United States. Native American populations were often portrayed as averse foes or savages.

Originating in vaquero heritage and Western fiction, the genre popularized the Western lifestyle, country-Western music, and Western wear globally.[3][4] Throughout the history of the genre, it has seen popular revivals and been incorporated into various subgenres.

  1. ^ Rubin, Joan Shelley; Casper, Scott E., eds. (2013). The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. p. 557. ISBN 978-0-19-976435-8.
  2. ^ Carter, Matthew (2014). Myth of the Western: New Perspectives on Hollywood's Frontier Narrative. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748685592.
  3. ^ "Vaqueros: The First Cowboys of the Open Range". History. August 15, 2003. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Fraser, Kristopher (February 14, 2023). "Cowboy Core Fashion Is Trending: Beyoncé, Harry Styles & More Create Buzz Around Western-inspired Looks". WWD. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.